Advice Please

I put this under shipping, because this was not the right way to ship a snake. I purchased a new retic, as most of you know I just lost one. I received a beautiful little guy today, BUT he was shipped improperly, the results is the rubbed nose that you see here.




Using a sandwich container!! The guy that shipped him swears there was no missing scales before he shipped. My concern is this: I have him over the weekend as I am not willing to ship until Monday. With all the stress he has now gone through, should I keep him or risk sending him back(in a proper container)? I have thought about giving him the chance to eat, if he does I may keep him as his nose can heal. What is your thoughts?

Thanks

I've shipped retics and other snakes in the Glad disposable containers and NEVER had a snake look like that afterwards.
That is not from the time in transit. I don't buy it that the snake was fine before shipping. I am willing to bet it had that injury BEFORE it was placed in the container.
I would try and treat the snake and get it back to health. IMO, shipping him back would just cause more problems for the snake.
Like I said before, that amount of damage did not happen because of a few hours in a smooth container. The snake was like that before it was shipped.

Since he has been with me the short few hours, his nose is starting to dry up. Though that container is not a Glad or Zip Lock container. If you look closely at the first two pictures you can see the rippled sides of the container. It is hard to say what really happened, I also got a perfect tiger retic(I will post pics later) in a proper smooth sided container.

Like Steve, I have received many snakes in deli cups and other food storage containers...usually without problems. IF, however you have a particular snake that is unhappy with his situation and wants out, the type of injury shown is a possible result (whether bagged, boxed, or caged). I must refrain from commenting on the likelihood of the damage happening in transit, however. maybe it is my eyes (way overtired, and 5 hours left in my shift). With a fresh wound, I would expect to see at least traces of blood. Maybe even a piece of one of the missing scales. I can't tell from the photo (or is it my eyes, still) how "new" it is. It is obviously not all scabbed over, which happens fairly quickly. The damage is relatively minor and, if there is no other problem, I would probably keep the snake...depends on what you paid for it. What was the sellers response to the pics (other than "he didn't look like that when he left")? Any offer of refund, or exchange? Was this from the breeder, or a dealer (not that my expectations would be different, I'm just curious). IF you keep it, I would suggest a light feeding schedule until his nose is fully healed - baby retics love to eat and grow. It's what they do best. But with all that growing comes the inevitable shed, and I think you would be very sad if he tore a huge chunk off his face (unfortunately, I've had that happen with injuries like that...and the subsequent wound is deeper than the original)

He is straight from the breeder. I have delt with bad sores from a snake that was not well cared for by the previous owner and had the shedding process add to difficulties. I have looked around and did not notice any traces of scales or blood anywhere in the container, which does lead me to believe this happened before shipping. I e-mailed the breeder and told him that I believe it did not happen while in transit, he says otherwise so I will never know for sure.

He did not have a problem if I were to send him the snake back, even though he was not in, his manager called and spoke with him about the snake(I sent these pictures to him). So he is leaving it up to me. If the little guy eats I will probably keep him, I am not having the best of luck with Retics lately.

Harold, you brought up a good point on feeding, I will certainly make sure he is on a light feeding schedule. Thanks for the reminder. So we will see what happens.

Retics

Hi Michael. I have three good sized retics (about 11 feet) that are kept in 6' Vision cages. They are notorious for trying to wedge their heads through any crack or crevice and they just don't seem to give up. I've seen that type of injury before and although it looks bad, I believe it to be swollen tissue, not missing scales. I don't think there's any permanent damage there. I'd rinse the area clean and put a little ointment on the area. I bet in a few days it will be completely gone. Good luck with your new animal should you decide to keep it!

hhmoore said:

IF you keep it, I would suggest a light feeding schedule until his nose is fully healed - baby retics love to eat and grow. It's what they do best. But with all that growing comes the inevitable shed, and I think you would be very sad if he tore a huge chunk off his face (unfortunately, I've had that happen with injuries like that...and the subsequent wound is deeper than the original)

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This is an excellent point. And until you shared it I would not even have given it a thought. Thanks for the enlightenment.

Thanks Greg, I will be watching carefully.

I really appreciate all the advice and comments given, it has been extremely helpful. I have decided to ship him back(the swelling has not reduced at all), the breeder said he is more than happy to send me another, he is being very awesome about this.

That's Cool!

I'm very surprised the swelling didn't go down. I can't say I've ever seen anything like that not disappear in a few days with proper treatment. It's great the breeder is willing to work with you on it. It would be a positive thing to know who the breeder/seller is. This way we would know who can be trusted to stand behind their animals. It's good news is you're going to get a replacement. The bad news is it's nick name is "shredder" lol.

Here is my replacement:


He just would not let me snap a picture of his face, but he is awesome. He has some great pattern. Just a little flighty, but not bitey.

I am hesitant to say who I purchased him from. He was bashed pretty hard a few years ago, I would not like to see that happen over this transaction. I figured people can change in a few years, apparently he has enough for me to consider dealing with again. I could not be happier.